Lasse Hallström is renowned for his sensitive but unsentimental depictions of childhood in such films as My Life as a Dog (1985), which brought him international attention and an Oscar nomination. Hallström commenced filmmaking as a child and after high school worked in Swedish television for ten years. He made his first feature, the romantic comedy A Guy and a Girl, in 1975, and soon afterward cheered pop-music fans with ABBA: The Movie (1977). He has directed children's films, including a few based on novels by Astrid Lindgren, and several American productions, most memorably What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993), The Cider House Rules (1999) and Chocolat (2000).